The invention relates to a pressing device with an endless conveyor which has a multiplicity of conveying links which are connected to one another to form an endlessly revolving track and of which adjacent conveying links are pivotally connected to one another in each case via a pin forming a pivot axes, and with at least one pressing roll which is provided in a pressing zone in order to pressurize the pressing material, which is conveyed on the endless conveyor between the pressing roll and the endless conveyor, wherein adjacent conveying links of the endless conveyor have intermeshing fingers, through which fingers the pin connecting said conveying links passes, and wherein the conveying links take up such a pivoted position with respect to one another in the pressing zone that the outside of the endless conveyor form a protrusion and recess less surface, which is closed in a plate shaped manner, in this region.
A pressing device of the type mentioned at the beginning, which is provided as a wine press, is already known from FR 538 228 A. The previously known pressing device has an endless conveyor which has a multiplicity of conveying links which are connected to one another to form an endlessly revolving track. Adjacent conveying links which are connected pivotally to one another in each case via a pin forming a pivot axes have intermeshing fingers, through which the pin connecting said conveying links passes. The previously known pressing device has two pressing rolls which follow each other in the conveying direction and are each provided for pressurizing the pressing material, which is conveyed on the endless conveyor, between the pressing roll and the endless conveyor. While the larger pressing roll, which is the front pressing roll in the conveying direction and which acts upon the upper strand of the endless conveyor approximately centrally, defines a first pressing zone, the smaller pressing roll, which is the rear pressing roll in the conveying direction and forms a second pressing zone, presses against the endless conveyor in the region of one of the deflection rollers. The smaller pressing roll, which is provided in the second pressing zone, revolves here at a higher revolving speed than the pressing roll arranged in the first pressing zone (page 2, lines 27 to 30 of FR 538 228 A). So that only the white grape juice and not also the red dye in the skins is squeezed out of red grapes (page 1, lines 29 to 33 of FR 538 228 A), the two press rolls act upon the endless conveyor with a comparatively low pressure, wherein the pressing roll arranged in the second pressing zone also has an elastic surface made from rubber or the like (page 1, line 62 to page 2, line 4 of FR 538 228 A). Since the pressing rolls act upon the endless conveyor and upon the pressing material located thereon with a comparatively low pressing pressure, there is also not a risk in the previously known pressing device that the pressing material is pressed into the conveying links of the endless conveyor; on the contrary, said pressing material drops in the deflection region between upper and lower strand of the endless conveyor.
The earlier document FR 26 637 E belonging to the same applicant relates merely to the configuration of the conveying links of the endless conveyor used in the previously known pressing device.
JP 1102 138093 U already discloses a pressing device which has an endless conveyor guided around two deflection rollers. This endless conveyor, the upper strand of which is acted upon approximately centrally between the deflection rollers by a pressing roll, is formed in the manner of a chain from conveying links which have an approximately concave external contour in side view. JP 1102 138093 U is not concerned with the problem of by which means the disturbance-free operation of the endless conveyor could be ensured even over a relatively long period of operation.
German utility model document DE 20 2011 102 965 U1 has already previously disclosed a pressing device which has an endless conveyor with which the pressing material is movable toward a pressing zone. The endless conveyor of the previously known pressing device is designed as a plate chain, the plates of which serving as conveying links are connected to one another to form an endlessly revolving track. Adjacent plates are connected pivotally to one another in each case via a pin forming a pivot axes. A pressing roll is arranged in the pressing zone of the previously known pressing device, said pressing roll being provided in a pressing zone for pressurizing the pressing material, which is conveyed on the endless conveyor, between the pressing roll and the endless conveyor.
The device previously known from DE 20 2011 102 965 U1 is intended for the mechanical drying of wood chips in order to reduce the wood moisture contained in the wood chips before the latter are burned. However, such pressing devices of the type mentioned at the beginning are usable for very varied applications in order to dehumidify or to compress a pressing material, which is intended for further use, and/or in order to obtain the fluid contained in a pressing material, for the purpose of further use.
DE 20 2011 102 965 U1 does not describe further how the plate chain serving there as an endless conveyor has to be configured, the plate chain being capable of withstanding high pressure loadings such that as high a performance of the pressing device as possible is ensured.